The Best Apple Pie - Crumble!

This gluten free apple pie is sooo good! I borrowed this recipe from Ottawa's nutritional expert Kathy Smart
"Best Apple Pie With Roasted Almond Crust"    (www.livethesmartway.com). In my version, I added a crumbled buttery topping!

Pie Filling:

• 10 large apples, cored and sliced about 1cm in thickness
• 1-2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup
• approx 1/2 cup of water

Crust:

• 4 tsp canola oil
• 4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds

Crumble topping

• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 4 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the Crust:
Combine oil, honey/ maple syrup, rice flour, cinnamon and ground almonds. Pack ingredients evenly along the bottom and edges of a 9 inch pie pan or a similar sized casserole dish. Bake pie crust for 3-5 minutes at 350. You will smell a nice almond smell in the oven. Let cool for 3-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare the Crumble:
Combine the rice flour, almonds, honey or maple syrup, cinnamon, and cold crumbled butter. Set aside in the fridge until you need it.

Filling:
Simmer apples in less than 1/2 cup of water for 8 -10 minutes until the apples are tender but not too soft. Drain the water from the apples and transfer the water to a small saucepan. Add the cornstarch and a couple more tbsp of water and heat until the desired thickness is achieved. Add liquid back into the apples along with the honey/ maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Add the filling into the pie crust.  Pack on the crumble topping. Bake for 25-40 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream

Les Beignets

An easy snack to make, these little donuts are best freshly made. There won't be much use for them the day after. The recipe makes 18, perfect accompaniment with tea or coffee for big family and friend gatherings.

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter
about 1/2 cup of oil for frying
a couple big handfuls of icing sugar


Directions:
In a bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder together then add the sugar.
  
In a separate (larger) bowl, mix the egg and milk together well then gradually add the dry mixture then beat in the melted butter to make a soft dough.
   
Place the dough onto a lightly floured board or counter top.  Knead the dough until smooth and elastic.  Divide the dough into 18 even sized balls.  Pat the balls down into somewhat flatter disc shapes.  Use a floured handle of a wooden spoon to push holes through the center of each ball..make sure the hole is open enough.

Pour a couple centimeters worth of vegetable or canola oil into a pan and heat to about 375 degrees F.  Fry the Beignets in batches, over crowding the pan will cool the temperature. Once golden brown on one side flip and fry the next side until cooked through. Then place them onto a dish with paper towel. Let cool for 5 minutes or so and cover with loads of icing sugar!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes! (And My own Icing Recipe)

My boyfriend has Celiac Disease, and each time his mother travels to the States she picks up a bunch of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cakes and Brownies.

Unfortunately not sold here in Canada yet so if you know anyone going to the States..this is really a great find!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes

Easy Thick Buttery Icing! 
I'm really not a trained professional when it comes to cooking. I just do what works and what my instincts and greedy taste buds desire. And when it comes to baking, I rely on good directions.
But I really think i have this icing thing down! It's easy here is:

4 cups of icing sugar (whenever I try to half it, it turns runny)
2/3 cup of melted butter
1 tbsp vanilla
and just a couple tbsp of milk until you get a nice thick yet spreadable consistency

For Chocolate Icing:
add 1/3 cup of cocoa for light chocolate, 1/2 cup of cocoa for medium chocolate, and 3/4 cup for dark chocolate.

(you want it a little shiny from the butter -that's how much butter you need, and you want to taste the vanilla)